Marty Finkel is the closest thing to a lifelong singer-songwriter you can find. From ditties composed as a toddler to teenaged guitar songs he composed before he knew any chords, Finkel has never been far from a song.
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Marty Finkel is the closest thing to a lifelong singer-songwriter you can find. From ditties composed as a toddler to teenaged guitar songs he composed before he knew any chords, Finkel has never been far from a song. After self-releasing three full-length records, one EP (and one record as side project Spinning Swords), Finkel makes his label debut with Might Be Found, on Slothrop Records.

In 2007, Finkel was a finalist for MSG’s Song of the Year’s writing contest (for “I Ain’t Been Sleeping At All”), and 2008 found Finkel nominated for two Madison Area Music Awards (one for Best Folk Album and one for Song of the Year).

Might Be Found showcases not only the breadth of Finkel’s talent, but also his growth as a songwriter: “When I began writing, my songs were more poetic/introspective and not as ‘toe-tapping.’ Since then I have moved away from that and have been writing more pop-based structures with lyrics that are more vague and allow for listener interpretation. When I’m working on an album the songs generally follow the same theme because they all represent the same chunk of my life,” Finkel says of his process.

On Might Be Found, Finkel’s songs glimmer with a unique optimism that shines in his songcraft and delivery. Even on songs like album opener “You Left Me First,” Finkel avoids wallowing and takes a matter-of-fact tone: “So stop your crying / I know it hurts / I’m not sympathizing / ’cause you left me first.” The up-tempo “Benjamin” was written as a tribute to The Graduate, one of Finkel’s favorite films, and was composed on his parents’ upright piano. The striking “Afraid to Die” was written for Elliott Smith, whose untimely death haunted Finkel’s dreams: “When I woke up I was obsessed with the notion that you could still write songs after you had died which I took some comfort in but in the end decided I was still afraid of death,” Finkel says of the song, which serves both as a salute to Smith and an affirmation of life. Though most of the songs traverse the familiar territory of love and loss, Finkel isn’t afraid to step into other lyrical terrain.